horse power in timber boats?

Question

Have built a timber ski boat want to know what horse power restrictions i have

Have built a wooden ski boat 16 ft modelled of a replica the bottom has had 4 coats of fibre glass the old boat had a motor with about 185 horse power am i able to go bigger

Answer 1

Boats can be funny when it come to Horse Power. I had a friend and years ago he had a little 15-16 foot tunnel hull that was 90 horsepower limit. He had a Mercury 150 horsepower on it. Look kinda funny sitting still as the front stuck up in the air a little, it not sit level. But, when he opened that sucker up it moved on down the lake. But, we worked at a boat dealer and knew a lot about boats. His boat would have got away from someone that not know how to handle it.
The problem with over powering a boat is not a problem when you want to go straight, the problem is in the turns. It can flip right over. The engine has the power and the boat not have the stability for that much power. If, the boat have a horsepower rating, I would go with that and not over power. Adding more fiberglass and weight may have lowered the maximum horsepower.

Answer 2

I have a 24FT fiberform (fiberglass) boat with a inboard motor .. recently bought the boat and want to take it out to a lake .. my question is what type of motor should i use just to get back to shore JUST as a backup if my main motor goes out ??

Answer 3

Made out of timber? not wood? Based on the info you gave us, regarding ,lenght,and beam as well as depth,and the type of "timber" it was built out of, as well as the transom thickness. I would guess that between a 10 hp -250 hp outboard, or a 50 -400 hp inboard. What did they say when you went to have it inspected and registered? Oh wait . You didn`t do that did you? What`s your next project ? building an airplane out of aluminium? (beer cans)

Answer 4

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